Copying-press



(No ModeL) I S. T. LOOKWOOD. COPYING PRESS.

No. 438,850. v PatehtedOdt. 21. 1890.

lllll l llllllimmm-flm i l UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

SAMUEL T. LOCKWOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COPYING-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,850, dated October 21, 1890. Application filed June 17, 1889. $erla1Nol 314,578. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. LOOKWOOD, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and 5 useful Improvements in Copying-Presses and I do hereby declare that the following is a I full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked IO thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel construction in lever-operated copying-presses, the object being to provide a device of this character which is simple and durable in construction and more convenient and rapid in its j operation. than ordinary screw-presses.

. The invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts here inafter fully described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front end 'view of a copying-press constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, and partly in vertical section, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

/ In said drawings, A indicates a bed of a copying-press, which is provided with an overhanging supporting-arm A. The free end of the said arm is located over about the center i of the said bed A, and is provided with a vertical opening or guide-recess a, having an inwardly-projecting annular flange a, arranged at the lower end thereof.-

B is a vertically-movable plunger working within the upper end of said guide-recess a, in which it fits and slides. The lower end of said plunger is provided with a central cylindric prolongation smaller than the main part o of the plunger, as shown at b, so that ashoulder 1) is formed between it and the upper portion. B is a spiral spring located within the said recess a, and resting at its lower end upon the flange a. The upper end of the said spring encircles the cylindric prolonga- I tion b of the plunger and bears upwardly against the shoulder b. The function of said spring will be more fully explained hereinafter. The plunger screw-threaded recess B is provided with a central 5 extending upwardly from its lower end, and which is adapted to receive the screwthreaded upper end of an I adj usting-spindle 13 which in its lower or main part fits within and passes through the annular flange a at the lower end of the recess a. The said adj usting-spindle B is pro- I vided with a central screw-threaded recess b extending upwardly from its lower end, and which is adapted to receive the upper end of a screw-bolt B The lower end of the said screwbolt B is'formed with a rounded head 12 which is engaged with the platen of the press in a manner hereinafter described.

C is a platen of familiar construction,provided on its upper side with a socket 0, within which the head I) of the screw-bolt B is pivoted by means of a pin 0, passing through the walls of the socket and through said head. It will be manifest that by means of this construction the platen is loosely connected with the rod 13 so that it has a slight vibratory or swinging motion thereon. The pivot-pin c is located relatively to the head and socket, so that the force applied to the screw-bolt to de press the platen will not be communicated thereto through the said pin and the walls In place of the construction just described the platen can be weighted so that it will stand in an inclined position. This construction is provided to facilitate the insertion of a book or other article beneath the platen. Obviously the platen could be arranged to incline laterally, instead of from front to rear, with the same result, owing to the fact that three of the sides are open,instead of two, as is usual in most presses. I

The adjusting-spindle B is provided with a hand-wheel or milled head 12 by means of which it may be turned to change the distance between the platen and the bed, in order to adjust the press to receive copyingbooks or other articles of different thicknesses. I have shown in the drawings the spindle 13 having a 'right-hand screwthread and the screw-bolt B as having a left-hand screw-thread. It is obvious that by reason of the presence of oppositely-arranged screwthreads on the said parts the platen will in turning the spindle be moved twice as fast as by a single screw.

D is an operating handle or lever, which is pivoted at one end to the upper end of the plunger B by means of a pivot-pin d. Said lever is provided with a thick or wide part or head d at its end adjacent to the pivot d, and is also provided with two lugs or shoulders d and d which limit the movement of said handle relatively to the plunger to an arc of about a quarter of a circle. The lug d is arranged upon the under or rear side of the head (I, and is adapted to abut against the plunger, and thereby prevent a further movement of the handle when it is approximately in a horizontal position, and the lug (Z will abut against the other or front side of the said plunger when the handle reaches an approximately vertical position.

D D are links pivoted at their lower ends to studs a (1. upon either side of the arm A and at their upper ends to studs cl" cl on the corresponding sides of the head (1 of the handle. The said studs d d are located at points above the pivot-pin d when the handle is in a horizontal position, so that in moving the said handle it will turn upon the studs cl (1* as a center, and the pivot-pin (1, being distant from said center, will describe a partial revolution and carry with it the plunger B, while the links D D will swing about the studs (1 a, and thus permit a sufficient lateral movement of the said head to allow the pivot-pin cl and the plunger to move vertically.

The several parts of my invention being constructed and assembled as described, the operation is as follows: The platen O is normally held in an elevated position by the action of the spring B upon the lower end of the plunger B, and as said plunger rises the head (Z of the handle, which is pivoted at one side to the plunger and at its opposite side to the links D D, will turn'upon its linkconnections as a pivot and make a partial.

revolution, the links in the meantime turning upon their pivots a a so that their upper ends pass to one side, causing them to stand at an incline, and thus permit a vertical movement of the pivot-pin d, which moves with and in the same direction as the plunger. The upward movement of said plunger is limited by the lug d upon the head cl coming in contact with the plunger B. In this position the studs cl (1 will stand at one side of the pivot-pin d, the links D D in an inclined position, and the handle D in an elevated position. The actuation of the handle or operating-lever in the manner described obviously affords only a small vertical movement in the plunger B, and in order to adapt the press for operating upon books or articles of widely-difierent thicknesses the adjusting device consisting of the spindle B and screwbolt B is employed. In adjusting the platen to a book or pile of sheets to be pressed the book or pile of sheets will commonly be placed on the bed and the spindle turned by the hand until the platen is brought adjacent to or in contact with the book or pile of sheets. The platen may be adjusted by experiment to give greater or less pressure, as desired. After the desired adjustment of the platen O is attained for a copying-book of a certain size or thickness it is obviously unnecessary to change the adjustment as long as a book of the same thickness is used. After the platen is adjusted, as above described, the operator then depresses the handle, thereby causing the head (Z to turn upon the studs cl d as a pivot, and thus carries downwardly the opposite side of said head and with it the plunger pivoted thereto. The downward movement of the platen is limited by the lug d on the head, which strikes against the plunger as the said head revolves. The said lugis so located that it will permit a suflicient movement to allow the pivot (1 to pass the center of the studs (1 d and thus lock the platen in its depressed position.

I claim as my invention 1. A copying-press comprising a bed, a sliding plunger, a guide for said plunger, an operating-handle pivoted to the upper end of said plunger, and links pivoted to the operating-handle at a point adjacent to its point of pivotal connection with the plunger and to a piece or part having rigid connection with the bed.

2. A copying press comprising a bed, asliding plunger, a guide for the plunger, a platen connected with the lower end of the plunger, an operating-handle pivoted to the upper end of said plunger and provided with lugs or shoulders adapt-ed to engage the plunger to limit the movement of saidhandle, and links pivoted at one end to said guide and at' their opposite ends to the said handle at a point adjacent to its point of pivotal connection with the plunger, substantially as described.

3. A copying-press comprising a bed, a guide, a sliding plunger located within said guide, an adj Listing-spindle connected at one end with said plunger by a screw-threaded joint and at its opposite end with a screwbolt by means of an oppositely-screw-threaded joint, a platen pivoted to the lower end of said screw-bolt, and an operating-handle connected with said plunger, substantially as described.

4. A copying-press comprising a bed, a sliding plunger, a guide for the plunger, an operating-handle connected with said plunger, and a platen pivoted to said plunger and weighted to normally stand at an incline relative to said bed, substantially as described.

5. A copying-press comprising a bed, a guide, a sliding plunger located therein, an operating-handle connected therewith, said plunger being provided at its lower end with a head, a platen provided with a socket in bearing with the said head, and a pivot loosely connecting the said head with the platen, substantially as described.

6. A copying-press comprising a bed, a guide-arm, a guide-recess formed in said arm and provided near the lower end thereof with an inwardly-projecting flange, a sliding plunger located within the upper part of said guide-recess and provided with a contracted cylindric prolongation at its lower end, an adj usting-spindle connected at one end with said plunger by a screw-threaded joint and at its opposite end with a screw-bolt by means of an oppositely-screw-threaded joint and adapted to project through the lower contracted end of the guide-recess, a platen connected with the lower end of said screw-bolt, a spring located within the guide recess around said prolongation and the upper end of the adjusting spindle which bears at its upper end against the main part of the plun- 

